Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that the club will retake its official 2026/27 team photograph to include centre‑back William Saliba, who was omitted from the image released earlier this week. Saliba’s absence was due to a medical appointment, and the omission had left fans puzzled given the defender’s importance to the side.
The omission came after Saliba, who has made 184 appearances for the Gunners, was sidelined for the season with a back injury. Arteta explained that the original photo shoot had been cancelled on three separate occasions for various reasons, including commercial commitments that required the presence of certain guests. “We had some commercial obligations, we had some people who flew over to do that, so we decided to do that picture,” the coach said ahead of Arsenal’s away match at Nottingham Forest, speaking on Sky Sports. He added that a new session would be arranged “with the whole family” and that the club hoped to announce the updated shoot once all players could be present.
When asked whether Saliba was upset by the omission, Arteta reassured viewers that the defender was “completely fine.” He described Saliba as a player who “knows how loved he is” and who enjoys the banter from teammates. Saliba resumed training on the grass earlier this month, and Arteta said his recovery is progressing well, with an MRI scheduled for the following week to monitor the healing process.
In addition to Saliba’s situation, Arteta updated the squad’s injury status. Martin Zubimendi is expected to return against Forest after injuring himself in a warm‑up following the Leeds game, while Piero Hincapié will miss another one or two weeks. Winger Christos Tzolis underwent an MRI on Thursday to assess his hamstring injury sustained on international duty with Greece; Arteta reported that the scan showed “really good” progress and that Tzolis could be back in a few weeks.
With the new team photo scheduled for Friday, 16 October, the Gunners aim to present a complete squad image before the season’s mid‑term fixtures. The club remains optimistic about Saliba’s return and the overall fitness of the squad as they prepare for the challenges ahead.